i love all of the kotlc crew and the deuteragonist boys but can we remember that sophie foster is our main character, the leading lady, and honestly one of the better female protagonists in the middle grade/ya fantasy genre

“I have tried to show you what I am,” says Barb, the protagonist of one of the most controversial short stories ever written. “I have tried to do it without judgment. That I leave to you.”

Barb comes from I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter by Isabel Fall, a science fiction story about gender and imperialism. It was Fall’s first published story. There was no backlog of stories to analyze, and her author’s bio was sparse. Readers weren’t given any information about Fall’s gender identity, but that didn’t stop activists from speculating. “… this reads as if it was written by a straight white dude who doesn’t really get gender theory or transition,” complained Arinn Dembo, President of the science fiction writers’ collective SF Canada. The author Phoebe Barton even compared the story to a weapon against trans people: “Think of it as a gun,” she tweeted. “A gun has only one use: for hurting.” N.K. Jemison joined in, tweeting, “Artists should strive to do no (more of this) harm.” But Dembo and the hundreds of thousands of others were mistaken about Fall’s supposed cis identity. The publisher responded to the backlash by taking the story down and posting a statement about the author’s identity. Isabel Fall was a transgender woman, and self-identified activists for trans rights bullied her so mercilessly that she attempted suicide. Dembo later adjusted her criticism, saying “a lot of people might have been spared a lot of mental anguish” if Fall had made a statement about her gender identity. Meaning, Fall had a moral obligation to out herself as a trans woman. Both of Dembo’s comments reveal a preoccupation with the author that distracts from the text. The recent obsession with author identities is one of the great failures of contemporary liberal movements. In order to win liberation for any given group, liberal activists must focus less on who speaks and more on what is spoken. 

Roland Barthes’ 1967 essay The Death of the Author argued that an author’s intentions and life experiences do not make the “ultimate meaning” of their text. The author might as well “die” once the text is in the reader’s hands. The text is “a multi-dimensional space” that one cannot simply flatten with biographical details about the author. Barthes has largely been vindicated among literary critics and theorists, but his idea has not been well-received among liberal activists. It is easy to refuse to acknowledge multiple dimensions of a text. Moralistic groups like liberation movements might even be tempted to sort texts into a simple dichotomy—“good” or “bad,” without any gray areas—on the sole basis of the author’s identity. That is exactly what Dembo tried to do: she suggested that Attack Helicopter was bad simply because of the author’s (supposed) gender. 

I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter is not a transphobic story. Although an in-depth analysis would be beyond the scope of this essay, I can confidently say that Fall critiqued American imperialism, not transgender people. I think that would be clear to anyone who reads the story. But apparently, reading a story is no longer a necessary step in the process of interpreting it. Barton—who suggested her fellow trans woman was a “gun”-wielding transphobe—had not actually read the story. Jemison also admitted she had not read the story before tweeting that it was harmful. We now have a complete reversal of Barthes’ idea: this method of moralistic interpretation is nothing less than the death of the text.

Fall is far from the only queer storyteller to face backlash for allegedly not being queer. Becky Albertalli, Kit Connor (who was still a teenager), and Jameela Jamil all came out of the closet because they were harassed for telling queer stories as “straight” and “cis” people. It is a common talking point in activist circles that the government should not compile lists of queer people or forcibly out them. Why, then, do activists engage in the same behavior? It simply is not always safe to admit that you are gay, or trans, or autistic, or epileptic, or that you have had an abortion. The reason that we need liberation movements for these groups is the same reason that people might not want to publicly claim these identities.

You can read the rest on Substack

Now that Kelli has been gone for a bit, I feel like I can get this off my chest: Wolf Productions done fucked up.

Not for the first time, and not right from square one. But gosh, what a waste.

Kelli Giddish's Rollins was the only female character with the depth and acting chops behind her on the show since Cabot was a regular. She showed up and was able to go toe to toe with Mariska in carrying episodes - both personally related to her character, or to cases - not to mention had electric chemistry with Benson (sexual or not, take your pick).

With all the flack that SVU had taken over the years for not having a more diverse cast in regards to sexuality, Amanda was the earliest and best opportunity they had to develop a complex, interesting storyline of an adult woman coming to her sexuality late in life. I am not even necessarily the most ravenous Rolivia Shipper out there, but I'm heartbroken that they took Amanda's character over the years into the most boring, obvious, dissatisfying of directions.

I adored Amanda's wild/problematic side. Her episodes with her fighting with Amaro, dealing with her gambling addiction, shooting her sister's ex, or going rogue undercover are my favorite episodes of basically the last 10 yrs of the show. It was so good to finally have someone in the squad who was easier to relate to in a real-world sense. Someone who went to a Big Girl job in the day, but in the off hours was a mess with a rebellious streak.

It was always my hope that they would turn around the storylines where she seemed to chase men that were purposely bad for her, into a realization that it was because she was more emotionally into women. It fits so perfectly with her childhood, her background, and had ready-made holes in existing canon where they could have written it in with ease. (Pretending to be Liv's gf at the sperm bank, the remarks she makes in the episode Plastic, questioning her second pregnancy, etc.)

Instead, they had Carisi mope after her for years, all through the seasons where she showed no interest in him. I lost 50% of my respect for Carisi when he had that sulking tantrum after she fucked the bartender in Intent (a sexist double-standard btw, which would have never flown with fans if it had been Rollins pouting bc Carisi turned her down), and the other 50% after Carisi became ADA, with the writers seeming to then write him as rather victim-blaming.

The biggest irony, in my opinion, is that Dick Wolf complains that giving the fans EO will make the show too 'soap opera-y,' when what he/they did with Rollisi and Kelli's exit was far and away the most soap opera-esque thing they ever wrote! Fuck off with that obvious shit! Oh, the once-troubled blonde who is now straight as an arrow, rides off into the sunset with the Catholic altar boy and trades her powerful feminist position for a 9-5 (don't come for me, there's nothing wrong w being a professor, that's not the point here) and her two kids. Eat all of my ass, Mr. Cis-het, White, Only-Primetime-Billionaire Wolf. 🙄***

To make matters worse, they specifically brought in a POC actress to play a bisexual character, only to write her out as fast as possible for absolutely no discernable reason!?! The utter waste of what they did with Kat Tamin is an equal travesty. Give me Kat waking up in Amanda's bed. Give me Amanda making pancakes for breakfast and Kat carrying the kids to the table. Give me anything but the bullshit, Caucasian tripe that they sold us with Rollisi!!!

*takes deep breath*

And if - IF - the powers that be couldn't think beyond the end of an average-length cock when it came to Rollins, then for the love of all that is holy: her chemistry with Sergeant Khaldun was 1) vastly more believable 2) hotter 3) more diverse as an overall cast option and 4) less cringeworthily obvious.

I have loved SVU since I was 16 yrs old, and even though I gave up watching it around The People v. Richard Wheatley (for reasons unrelated to this specific rant), I still lurk in the background and keep myself vaguely caught up. But it's getting impossible to defend a lot of the choices they have made in the last three or four years. Good talent is so hard to hang onto these days in H'wood, and Dick Wolf seems just as, if not more, determined to fuck up his show as Chris Carter was in the 90s with TXF.

Thanks for coming to my TED Rant. 😮‍💨✌🏻

- HeartEyes4Mariska

***Not to mention the Barisi Shippers got robbed in the process.

Hiii me again! I, too, have questions for the ask game 🍓🦋🥤

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

I feel like it's redundant to keep saying the same ones, but *whispers* storm in the quiet @justallihere and Political Gain @sarahwyland

But also, in terms of underrated, I just read a little series by Ramzes called The Unseen One, furthering the Sloane/Bodhi agenda (🙏🏼 the lord’s work) and I've also enjoyed The Princess Gambit by JuliLyng so far as well, which is Xaden/OC. Not sure if they have tumblr, but if they're here, hi! 👋🏼

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

So I've always been a reader/writer, since as far back as I can remember (maybe three years old?), I'm pretty sure with the knowledge I have now that I'm hyperlexic.

I'm old enough to have been around for dial-up internet, but when I was a preteen, we got broadband (showing my age). This is to say, don't judge my parents too harshly because internet safety was not a thing back then, but...

I found fanfiction because back then, a lot of people either used livejournal or hosted their own sites, so a lot of fansites, had fanfiction. So while looking at Buffy fansites, I stumbled across Buffy fanfiction and realised I could actually read stories!!! so many stories!! where Buffy and Spike got together earlier or things didn't end tragically for them. So yeah, at 11 I was reading very explicit Spuffy smut on the internet 🫢 I had a system set up where I would play The Sims all day or do school project powerpoints, except I was really reading fanfic and I would flick between screens whenever my parents entered the room.

My mum now has KU and reads dark romance every day, so I guess she comes by it honestly (and yes, I did mean it that way around, I was here first!) 😂

Anyway, when I was 12 I started publishing my first few fanfics on ffnet - Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a Harry Potter/X-Men Crossover. Each originally written on paper, they were all ridiculously bad, but the latter had people interested enough despite the writing, which encouraged me to try again later down the line with The Vampire Diaries and Jurassic World. I hadn't written for almost ten years and had never finished anything much until last year, by chance, I decided to finally get back into reading actual books and picked up ACOTAR. I finished the series within a week and I was left like?? That's it????

The archive had such a small number of works, I couldn't believe it, so I decided to write my own. I wrote Fury and Siren over the course of three months. I wasn't game to post anything in case I didn't finish it, because I'd never finished anything before. I also put off starting this little book I'd bought 'Fourth Wing' by three months, because I knew I'd be sucked in and would lose the hyperfixation I had, so I forced myself to finish Siren first. And now you all know my life story lol omg I'm so embarrassing to myself 🫠

TLDR: internet

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

Honestly, this is kind of angsty, but this last week I’ve thought a lot about male-dominated fandom spaces and how we’re not welcome in them. We, meaning everyone who isn’t a straight, cis, white male. The Formula 1 community on here seems a little better, probably because it’s female-led, but everywhere else I can’t even look at the comments.

To be honest, I’m tired of being told I don’t belong, or that my opinion means nothing because I’m female. I grew up in a motorsport family, my earliest memories are at racetracks, but men on the internet would have you believe I’m only interested because of what the drivers look like. It’s just…tiring. Those fandom spaces have become a no-go zone for me now, because it just isn’t worth it. We live in a time where no matter what you say someone will attack you which is sad in itself, but it’s so much worse when you’re a woman commenting on a “man’s sport”, not to mention endlessly frustrating because they’re too stupid to tell the difference between equity and equality.

🦋 On a larger note, Palestine. I don’t think more than that needs saying. It hurts my heart.

Fascists getting impressively bold in asserting their alternate take on reality, example number some big number.

So when I looked at my phone today, I saw an alert pop up about a Times of London article about Judy Blume, and mostly it got me really concerned about what the hell installed itself on my phone without my consent that’s pulling headlines from some transphobic rag, but the short version is they ran a story about Blume being this full-throated supporter of J.K. Rowling’s horrific transphobia, which is just complete fiction, and she’s been spending the day running damage control with statements like these:

I’m going to circle back around to this, but on the off chance people follow me here who aren’t up to speed on this sort of propaganda, it’s been going on for quite a long time, particularly in this specific context of fascists completely fabricating stories about other authors supporting their uh... genocidal ambitions.

This sort of thing happens literally all the time. More often than not it happens with people who have been dead for decades or centuries so there’s more plausibility on going “well who’s really to say what this person would have thought about trans people? (Besides us, saying they’d be in favor of total extermination.) There wasn’t even a concept of trans people anywhere in the world before let’s say last Tuesday after all!” And like, they’ll do this with famous historical trans people. Like bigots were on this huge crusade to claim Dr. James Barry as a would-be supporter. Look him up.

They’ve been getting bolder with it though. Especially when it comes to beloved authors. Like, literally RIGHT after Terry Prachett died, a bunch of Nazi ghouls immediately started in on this weird campaign to claim him as a supporter. It uh, made a few headlines. Specifically it made a few headlines because he was very actively and vocally in support of trans people, as could be seen in books he’s written, the testimony of his family friends and coworkers, and you know, countless trans people he’d interacted with.

So then they started trying to pull this with authors who don’t quite have such a public history to be thrown back at them, and started getting really bold, claiming people who are still alive. Mostly just kinda trying to bait people with weird loaded questions like “hey, did you hear J.K. Rowling has tons of people bullying her lately, isn’t that messed up?” at the likes of Stephen King and Phil Pullman, who responded like you do when someone says that that hey, it’s not cool to bully people” and tada, here’s our headlines. Of course they PRETTY QUICKLY became aware that in this context “bullying” means “publishing factual accounts in the public record about her heavy involvement in a fascist collective with genocidal aims towards trans people” and walked that the hell back.

That sort of one-day-confusion from white guys in their 70s who haven’t been paying much attention to civil rights issues and absurd internet nazis is the closest these people can really get to a “win” here, and still aren’t really the best possible gets, so what about going with still living but probably not all that up with the times feminist writers? Like hey, what about Margaret Atwood? This sort of bigot’s all about calling cis women who don’t actively hate trans women “handmaidens” as a reference to her book, which they definitely read and understood, so that should work out, right? Not so much.

They had a similar strike out with Ursula LeGuin a while back. I don’t think they’ve quite been stupid enough to try and claim Madeleine L’Engle while her book with the non-binary angelic beings are helping kids fight against fascism was being made into a movie, but eventually they decided to come for Judy Blume, because... that makes sense when you’re this far removed from a reality.

So... those quotes above? Those aren’t things I went and dug up on my own. Those are straight off her social media feed, because she’s straight up furious bigots are trying to put words in her mouth on a topic she’s pretty clear about. And if you look at the responses those statements are garnering, it is some grade A cultist reality denial:

I could keep going with this, but, you know, these are intertwined with people shouting just utterly horrific hate speech at her and I don’t want to keep wading through hat sort of sewage just to find even more people directly replying to someone saying “I completely abhor your disgusting hate movement and have made my stance on this clear for years” with “no you don’t! You secretly agree with us! You’re just backpedalling in these... statements that don’t at all work with the timeline I’m using to cope!”

I don’t really have a greater point beyond demonstrating how just COMPLETELY GONE these people are, unwilling in any way to accept the truth of the world around them, that no, people don’t in fact agree with their hateful rhetoric, and no, children’s authors who right about being yourself do not, in fact, want children to be abducted and tortured until they act in a way complete monsters would prefer. Also a lot of them have carte blanche to print straight up lies in newspapers and use that pretty regularly.

i feel kind of bad because i followed an author on here because i thought the premise of his next book sounded like something i would like, and i bought it and read half of it and.... ngl it sucks major ass.

it's billed as a romantic comedy and it's painfully weak at jokes, it's chock full of that therapy-talk thing that people make fun of (i lost my shit at one of the lead's ex wife scrupulously listing out her privileges as a straight white cis woman before literally spelling out that she thinks he might be demisexual based on an article she read once. like. who talks like that to their ex-husband. also she's just generally written like if a blank piece of paper was a person*), and it has an absolutely catastrophic case of fanfic pacing (ie something kind of uncomfortable happens and is immediately resolved within or by the next chapter so the plot just bobs up and down in a pool of tepid water rather than having any sort of swell and crash) and it has to instantly file down any flaw that the characters are ever shown to have. (this character's an alcoholic? that's okay, it's safely in his past and barely affects anything other than giving other people a chance to dither about whether or not they can drink in front of him before he assures them that it's okay. he was involved in a scandal? yes but it's not through any fault of his own. the love interest didn't realize he had the capacity to be attracted to a man before reuniting with his trans ex and being into him currently? don't worry, the narration will tell you twice that it's so wild that he's not experiencing any panic about his sexuality whatsoever because he's so naturally chill? the love interest has a demanding restaurant job? doesn't effect the plot in any way because he's never once been unavailable to do one of the 5 or 6 meandering hangouts that have stuffed the book so far, or even been tired or lost sleep even though him having some insomnia was established immediately.)

i keep wanting so badly to just like.... ooh, rewrite it a little bit. i can SEE like 4 places where a little needed conflict could go. I even second guessed myself like "maybe i'm not a good judge of contemporary romance novels because i only read regency romance novels" but then i remembered that's a dumb thing to think. I'm perfectly good at discerning weak plot, empty quip exchanges, and preaching to the choir. it's just kinda bad lmao.

I do think it's funny that i chewed through half of the book while on an edible and then realized as soon as i sobered up that it was pretty terrible actually (to be fair. i was giving it a chance to pay off.... any potential conflicts. but it steadily refused to, and instead sprinkled in the tiniest bits of miscommunication to spin out the mutual pining for a couple more chapters. and a couple more chapters again), but also. i fucking never have anything to say about good books and i think i got $17 worth of value from being able to roast it so thoroughly.

*shoutout to drew gooden for that evergreen phrase, you changed my life

"Sylvie is not relatable enough to be a good character"

is an argument I've seen some antis using to hate on her (after dozens of other arguments, totally sexists for most of them, but nevermind, I'll talk about it on another post)

Sylvie's problems and traumas are indeed very special, for me the most particular of the whole MCU. She grew up in apocalypses, alone, on the run, on her guards constantly. And I know it's not the same thing as other's character traumas, that clearly are common things in the real world - like Marc Spector's traumas.

But that, first of all, doesn’t mean her traumas are totally irrelevant in our world.

Sylvie is a war refugee, an orphan, a victim of oppression, dictatorship, and dehumanisation.

It always annoys me when I see white ( and often cis straight) people from Western Countries saying that she isn’t relatable. Yeah, sure, for you. Because you can't understand that.

But her story is a callback to real things that happened in history and still happen. My great grandparents had to run away from their country because of the war and the oppression, this guy in my class when I was in high school travelled alone from Africa to France for years to escape violence and oppression, many children lost their whole family because of war and dictatorship, and so on and so far.

And above all, she's a person with childhood traumas, wich can make her relatable for many people.

So, no. Sylvie's story isn’t just fantasy, made of things that can't happen in real life. Yeah, her story is built with Sci-Fi elements but that doesn't mean it has no link with reality.

Many people may not relate with this story and I understand that, but that doesn't make her a bad character. A character doesn't have to be written to be relatable to the majority to be relatable. And this argument also makes me laugh because people are able to have empathy and to relate with androids and aliens and ghosts and many other creatures with crazy backstories, but a woman who's been victim of dictatorship, no, too much for them.

But I have other things to say about this argument : Sylvie is still a relatable, well written and very human character, even with her special backstory. We can relate and have empathy even with that.

First of all because her psychology is just perfectly built and written. Her traumas, the way they impact her actions, her personality, all of this is is perfectly described.

And then, simply because of her personality. She seems cold-hearted but is fragile and kind, she has trust issues, she's awkward with Loki because she doesn't know how to do and is not used to that, she feels alone, angry and sad...

She is so human. Those traits are so human, and can be relatable for a lot ot us. Even I who didn't go through anything close to Sylvie's story can relate to her personality - the way she seems cold-hearted and agressive while she's just, well, to almost quote Mobius, a scared little girl, sweet and funny, and so on.

Bref, Sylvie is for me the most human and well written MCU character, she's my favourite with Loki. And people try to erase her traumas and story because they want to feel less bad while hating on her, because her story makes her sympathetic, and show that she is a victim, and that make them feel bad about hating on her.

With everything that's been happening irt family and finances, I've been in a horrible depressive episode for what feels like many months now. Maybe it's only been a couple, idk, but it seems longer. I had to drop D&D again indefinitely and it's just. Like I know I don't have the mental capacity for it but it still bums me out, you know?

I asked my mom how everyone is doing over there after the last incident and she says it's not too bad, kinda stressful but things look to be working out. She also told me to put my trust in God and pray, as she always does. Even after I've made it clear that I'm not a Christian anymore, she still tries. Which I'm not like mad at but I'm really not ready for any type of major religion or whatever, and especially not the one that caused me the most sorrow and trauma.

I don't NOT believe in God. In fact I believe that all gods do exist. Maybe not all on the same plane of existence, but they do all exist in some form, beyond normal human perception. But the church and the beliefs of the people are what burned me. And technically that one isn't god's fault, it's human being human and showing their capacity for evil. It's mistranslations and personal bias being written into religious law by self-righteous god-kings and pastors/deacons/wannabe saints...etc. It's how humans set up the religion and told everyone it's God's will that really fucked me up. It's those people who hurt my friends and family so badly they never want to believe in anything beyond ourselves because something having that much power over humanity is terrifying and infuriating when all you want is to be left alone in peace.

I guess I still get a little mad. I've asked her not to get preachy at me before when I was really angry. I know she does it with good intentions, but I still roll my eyes when I'm told I should pray about it and show reverence to a god that people always told me would send me to hell just for being me. A vindictive and jealous war monger who shuns anyone who's a little different and tells their followers that their children are better off dead than living in sin. A very "do as I say, not as I do" mindset that never did come off as the type of deity that encompasses "love" but demands it through fear.

I'm tired of hearing it. I'm tired of being told that's the only way. I'm tired of trying to justify my existence and my worthiness to some man-made version of a "kind" and "loving" god who, according to his followers, has already deemed me an abomination destined to eternal torture. For what? What in my entire life could I have possibly done to deserve that? People who commit the worst global scale atrocities known to all creatures on the planet are praised as godly and just people, but a truly kindhearted human who just happens to be trans or gay or mentally ill in an undesirable way has to face utter destruction and despair into infinity? All while those corporate greed CEO oil drilling slave labor capitalist literal taint cheese manifested into a wicked simulacrum of a parody of a human are allowed to rise to idol status and sainthood in the eyes of the church.

I want absolutely ZERO part of that. I don't even want to be remotely associated with that by proxy. I want it so fucking far away from me and my life except I have to live in it, wading up to my nostrils in the fucking doo-doo swamp that is American Christian capitalist culture. The denomination doesn't matter, they're all fucked up. Baptists, Presbyterians, Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, Witnesses, there's like a thousand of them I can't remember them all and any time a sect tries to be any kind of progressive in any way the vast majority condemns them as not being real Christianity and just...

Like fuck off. Fuck off forever. Most humans don't deserve to suffer but the idea that one day there will be no more humans is somewhat soothing tbh. Fifth or sixth mass extinction event happening cause of these rich white cis straight greedy mega church evangelical tech bro assholes not giving a shit about the planet and the people and creatures on it.

Please I hate being here so much. I hate money. I hate mainstream Christian culture. I hate the nuclear family model. I hate technology enabling crypto bros and art theft. I hate that all our amazing technological advancements are all put to use in war and suppression instead of healthcare and infrastructure. I hate everything about this country and the state of the world currently and please I don't want to BE here anymore!!!

Honestly it's been extremely disappointing seeing authors that I followed and supported go and trash mishka. And its extremely hard to listen to you guys preach kindness and support towards IF authors and then see you guys do the exact opposite. And for what? Because of racial stereotypes? Which ones? When she called one of her characters "animalistic" (which she apologized for)? That had more to do with her being a vampire rather than her race so I really hope that isn't what you guys are talking about. Or is it because you feel she hasn't properly researched? If that's the case, I can name 5+ IF books that definitely need to do more research so I hope you're out here "criticizing" them too and not just targeting mishka because of her bigger platform. If you truly feel this why not reach out to mishka and let her know "hey there's a couple questionable things in your story that I think you should fix" you know like a fellow supportive if author should do? Instead of basing on her on your account?And I know this will have some people pissed, but oh well, race and sexuality has very little to do with it and this is coming from a bisexual poc. When finding a new story most people know nothing about the author, let alone their race and sexuality, so the authors that I've seen discrediting mishka and insinuating that her success is due to the fact that she's white and cis are not only straight up assholes but are also completely false. Its become abundantly clear this week that the readers aren't the only reason for this community's toxicity. What makes it more sad is that I started following a lot of you a while ago and totally planned to support you guys once your stories were finished, all this drama sort of just left a sour taste in my mouth. I completely understand some of twc fans are being horrible to you guys and I'm sorry for that but that's doesn't call for you all to shit on mishka and her writing. We all just need to do better

no one is shitting on mishka, literally the whole problem is people like you coming into my and other authors inboxes for no reason other than to throw around accusations and play victim. i have no problem with twc and i don't give a shit if you read it and enjoy it. i don't mind people defending authors either, when it's necessary - i've done it myself. but here is the problem - you people don't know the difference between harassment and criticism. you send harassment, claim it's criticism so you can be absolved of any wrong doing, and then when your faves are actually rightfully criticized, you claim it's harassment so you can ignore it.

yes people are going to be harsher to mishka because she has a huge fucking platform and is making insane amounts of money. of course we should criticize other authors as well and everyone knows that i have! but again there is a huge fucking imbalance here comparing some authors to someone like mishka, who very rarely actually has to take accountability, because again - she has a massive platform, swaths of fans that act as an echo chamber, and people like you running to send annoying ass messages to anyone who so much as breathes in her direction. this is the fucking problem.

at this point you are just being willfully ignorant and choosing to ignore the fact that twc is written by someone with privilege and that people have every right to criticize her for the things she's gotten wrong, especially when it comes to depictions of marginalized communities. people have constantly brought up these criticisms all throughout the fandom, people who are directly affected by the things she has done - telling me to "just message her" is literally so fucking dense. you really think no one else has ever tried that?

no one is out here trying to "cancel" mishka, literally none of us care about that. i'm not going to downplay the harm mishka has caused with the stereotypes portrayed in her depiction of M or the way she poorly handled A's asexuality as well as the countless other things that people far more qualified than me have brought up before - i don't think mishka is willfully malicious, and i don't think she's responsible for any of the annoying shit you all make other IF authors deal with. it's great that she has apologized for some of her mistakes, i do appreciate that.

as for today, she never should have had to apologize for this shit.

what was being talked about was never actually mishka herself. you all just purposefully misconstrued people's posts to make it seem like she was a victim so you could come harass us - because you all just love doing that so much.

mishka really had to take time out of her day to come on tumblr dot com to apologize to authors because of YOU. none of us asked for an apology from her, none of us expected anything from her in regards to this because it's not her fault. we simply wanted people like you to fucking leave us alone! and you can't even do that, not even after mishka asks you to. at this point i don't think it has anything to do with her or twc i think it's just a bunch of you itching to be rude and nasty as fuck to people online and you use mishka as an excuse to do that.

fucking log off and go read any other book besides twc. i'm so fucking tired of talking about those books - which i did enjoy at one point! but not anymore after all the shit you people constantly send me and the way you all act and treat others in this community, all in the name of an author who disavows your vile fucking behavior and wants nothing to do with you.

you think it's extremely disappointing for you? how about all the authors who have to grapple with the fact that there are readers who have no respect for us as people, don't give a shit about our feelings, constantly harass us and feel entitled to our work and our characters? how about mishka who has to come on here and apologize for her readers and their awful fucking behavior, and see all the messages sent on "her behalf"? literally get the fuck out of here.

Daniel LaRusso: A Queer Feminine Fairytale Analysis Part 1 of 3

Disclaimers and trigger warnings: 

1. These fairytales are European, although there’s often overlap in themes globally. I know European fairytales better, which is essentially the reason I’m not going to branch out too far. I opted to also stick to Western movies so as not to narrow things down, but also in particular “waves hand towards all of Ghibli” amongst many others. There’s a reason the guys in Ghibli are so gender.

2. TW for discussions of rape culture and rape fantasies

EDIT: FUCK I’M A GOBLIN CHILD! FORGOT TO PUT A MASSIVE MASSIVE THANK YOU TO @mimsyaf​ WHO HAS BEEN THE NICEST, KINDEST EDITOR ON THESE THOUGHTS AND CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH TO THEM AND GENERALLY IS A WONDERFUL PERSON!

Part 2

Part 3

1. Introduction

I recently wrote a little thing, which was about Daniel as a fairytale protagonist – specifically one that goes through some of the kinds of transformations that are often associated with female protagonists of fairytales.

I used quotes from Red Riding Hood, Labyrinth, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Dracula, which, as an aside – the overlap between fairytales, horror, and fantasy and the ways each of those genres delve into very deep, basic questions of humanity and the world is something that will always make me feral. I will be generally sticking with fairytales though. Also I am very excited about some of those Labyrinth concepts going around!

I’m going to use “feminine” and “masculine” in both gendered (as in relating specifically to people) and non-gendered (as in relating to codes) ways throughout this, depending on context.

To be binary for a moment, because sample-sizes of other genders are low, women are usually able to fall into either feminine or masculine arcs, although sometimes the masculine-coded woman can become a “not like the other girls” stereotype and the feminine-coded woman a shallow cliché – in both cases they’re also under more scrutiny and judgement, so it’s always worth asking “is this character not working for me because of the writing or because I have ingrained biases? (Both?)”

Men don’t often get feminine-coded arcs. Because. Probably a mix of biases and bigotry. But there are some that seem to have slipped beneath the shuttered fence of “Sufficient Narrative Testosterone,” and Daniel LaRusso is one of them.

2. Some Dude Comparisons (Men Doing Manly Action-Hero Things like being trans symbolism and loving your girlfriend… seriously those things are hella manly, I wish we saw more of that onscreen…)

a. Neo

Much like Neo The Matrix, whose journey is filled with transgender subtext and specifically and repeatedly references Alice In Wonderland, Daniel doesn’t go through quite the kind of hero's journey usually associated with Yer Standard Male Hero, especially the type found in the 80s/90s.

Neo is my favourite comparison, because of the purposefulness of his journey as a trans narrative and the use of Alice. But I’m sure there are other non-traditional male heroes out there (but are they trans tho? Please tell me, I want trans action heroes).

Neo “passes” as a socially acceptable man, but online goes by a different name - the name he prefers to be known by - feels like there’s something inherently wrong about the world around him and his body’s place in that society, and then gets taken down the rabbit hole (with his consent, although without really “knowing” what he’s consenting to) to discover that it’s the world that’s wrong - not him. And by accessing this truth he can literally make his body do and become whatever he wants it to.

Yay. (The message of the Matrix is actually that trans people can fly).

Neo is – kind of like Daniel – a strange character for Very Cis Straight Guys to imprint on. He spends most of the first movie unsure about what’s going on, out of his depth, and often getting beaten up. He is compared to Alice several times and at the end he dies. He loses. He has to be woken up with true love’s kiss, in a fun little Sleeping Beauty/Snow White twist. Yes, after that he can fly, but before that he’s getting dead-named and hate-crimed by The Most Obvious Stand-In For Normativity, Agent Smith, and being carried by people far more physically capable than he is (people who also fall outside of normative existence).

Trinity and Neo in The Matrix. The fact that a lot of the time neither of them is gendered is something. Literally brought to life by true love’s kiss.

I’m not about to argue that Daniel LaRusso is purposefully written along these same thought processes, so much as the luck of the way he was written, cast, directed, acted, and costumed all came together in the right way. And this is even more obvious when compared to That Other Underdog Fite Movie That Was By The Same Director as Karate Kid.

b. Rocky

The interesting thing about Rocky is that he is (despite being a male action icon) also not written as a Traditionally Masculine person. Large portions of Rocky – and subsequent Rocky films – are his fear and insecurity about fighting vs his inability to apply his skills to another piece of work and wanting to do right by his girlfriend (and future wife), Adrian. The fighting is most often pushed onto him against his will.

Much like in Karate Kid there is barely any fighting in Rocky I. Most of it is dedicated to how much Rocky loves Adrian and the two of them getting together. The fight is – again like in Karate Kid – a necessary violence, rather than a glorified one (within the plot, obviously watching any movie like this is also partly about the badassness of some element of the violence – whether stamina or the crane kick, it’s all about not backing down against a more powerful opponent).

Rocky is played by Sylvester Stallone. He’s tough, he’s already a fighter (albeit in the movie not a great one yet), he’s taking the fight for cash – so although he’s also soft-spoken and sweet, you’re aware of the fact that he’s got those traits that’d make a male audience go “Hell Yeah, A Man,” or whatever it is a male audience does watching movies like that… cis straight men imprinting on oiled muscle men sure is a strange phenomenon, why do you wanna watch a boxing match? So you can watch toned guys groaning and grappling with each other? Because you want to feel like A Man by allowing yourself to touch the skin of other men?

Apollo and Rocky in Rocky III. This sequence also includes prolonged shots of their crotches as they run. Sylvester Stallone directed this. This was intentional. Bros.

Daniel LaRusso is not built like that. But that doesn’t really have to matter. Being smallish and probably more likely to be described as “pretty” than handsome, and not having a toxic masculine bone in his body does not a feminine archetype make. It just makes a compelling (and pretty) underdog. 

c. Daniel

So where does the main difference really lie? Between Rocky and Daniel? Well, Rocky has the plot in his hands – Daniel, largely, does not. Rocky is acting. Daniel is reacting or being pushed into situations by others. Just like our boy Neo. Just like Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Snow White – just like some of the women in some contemporary(ish) fairytale films like Buttercup (Princess Bride), Dorothy (Wizard of Oz), or Sarah (Labyrinth).

This isn’t a necessary negative about stories about girls and women, so much as looking at what it is girls and women in fairytales have/don’t have, what they want, and how they’re going to get it. It’s about power (lack of), sexuality (repressed, then liberated), men, and crossing some taboo lines. It’s also about queerness.

3. The Karate Kid Part One: Leaving Home

Daniel LaRusso is a poor, skinny, shortish kid (played by a skinny, shortish twenty-two-year old) who doesn’t fit in after having been taken away from the home he was familiar with against his will. Not every male protagonist in a fairytale leaves of his own will, and not every female protagonist leaves under duress – Red Riding Hood, for example, seems perfectly happy to enter the forest. However generally a hero is “striking out to make his fortune,” and generally a heroine is fleeing or making a bargain or being married off or waiting for help to arrive. She is often stuck (and even Red Riding Hood requires saving at some point).

Daniel then encounters a beautiful, lovely girl on the beach, puts on a red hoodie (red is significant), is beaten up by a large, attractive bully, loses what little clout he may have had with his new friends, and generally has a mostly miserable time until he befriends and is saved by Mr Miyagi. To do a little Cinderella comparison: Miyagi is the fairy godmother who pushes Daniel to go to the ball in disguise as well, and that disguise falls to pieces as he’s running away.

Then Daniel asks for help, Miyagi gets him enrolled in a Karate Tournament, and starts teaching him. Daniel wins the tournament and gets the girl, the end.

While Daniel has chutzpah and is a wonderful character, none of the big events are initiated by him, except for the initial going to the forest/beach (and within all of these events Daniel absolutely makes choices – I’m not saying he’s passive): Lucille takes them to California, Miyagi pushes him to go to the dance, Miyagi again decides to enroll him in the tournament and trains him, and only because Kreese doesn’t allow for any other option, Ali is the one who more often than not approaches Daniel, and even their first encounter is pushed by Daniel’s friends.

Daniel really is at a dance/ball in disguise and receives a flower from a girl who recognises him through said disguise, it’s unbearable! It’s adorable! I get it Ali, I fucking get it!

Daniel’s main journey within this – apart from not getting killed by karate thugs (love u Johnny <3) and kissing Ali – is to learn from Miyagi. He’s not necessarily a full-on feminine fairytale archetype at this point, although there are fun things to pull out of it, mainly in the context of later films and Cobra Kai: the subtext of karate and how that builds throughout all the stories, the red clothes, the themes of obsession, his being targeted by boys whose masculinity is more than a little bit toxic and based on shame… more on all that coming up.

He doesn’t technically get a home until they build him a room at Miyagi’s place, but he definitely leaves the woods at the end of this one, trophy lifted in the air after being handed to him by a tearful Johnny and all.

And then they made a sequel.

4. The Karate Kid Part Two: Not Out Of The Woods Yet

Daniel’s won the competition, Kreese chokes out Johnny for daring to lose and cry, more life-lessons are given (for man without forgiveness in heart…) and Daniel and Ali break-up off-screen, confirming that TKK1 was not really about the girl after all, which, despite Daniel and Kumiko having wonderful chemistry, is also an ongoing theme. Daniel enters the screen in The Most Baby-Blue Outfit seen since Tiana’s dress in Princess and the Frog? Or that dress in Enchanted? Maybe Cinderella’s (technically silver, but later depicted as blue)? 

(Sidenote: At everyone who says Sam ought to wear a callback to that suit,  you are correct and sexy).

Surprise, Miyagi’s building him a room.

Double-surprise, Miyagi needs to go to Okinawa.

Triple surprise, Daniel reveals he’s going with him, because he’s his son dammit.

The Karate Kid Part Two is maybe the least Daniel-LaRusso-Feminine-Fairytale-Protagonist of the three, because it’s not really his movie. Daniel runs around with Kumiko (aka the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen), continues to be The Best Non-Toxic Boy a middle-aged Okinawan karate master could ask for, lands himself another Built Karate Rival (twice is just a coincidence, right? Right?), and eventually doesn’t die while wearing red again – twice: When Chozen almost strangles him to death at the Miyagi dojo and then during the final fight. The Saving Of The Girl (both the little girl in the storm and Kumiko) actually puts him in a more traditional masculine space than the previous movie did, even if the main theme of the film is about compassion and kindness and by the end, once more the boy whose masculinity is built on rockhard abs and matchsticks is on his knees. Daniel just has that power over big boys. It’s called kick/punch them in the face hard enough that they see stars.

There’s an aside to be made here about how much Daniel really is an observer in other peoples stories in this, although he is the factor that sends both Chozen and Kumiko into completely different directions in life (Chozen and Kumiko main characters when?) Anyway he comes out of it presumably okay, despite being almost killed. Maybe a few therapy sessions and he’ll get over it. Too bad Terry Silver is lurking around the corner…

5. The Karate Kid Part Three: The Big Bad Wolf

Alright people have written Words about the third movie. It’s fascinating. It’s odd. It’s eye-straining. It’s like olives – you’re either fully onboard the madness or it’s too off-putting for you (or you’re like. Eh, don’t see what all the fuss is about either way...). It’s basically a non-consensual secret BDSM relationship between a guy in his thirties (played by a Very Tall twenty-seven year old Thomas Ian Griffith) and a 17/18 year old (played by a shorter twenty-eight year old Ralph Macchio).

Also recently we got more information on Mr. Griffith’s input on the uh… vibes of the film. Apparently it wasn’t just The Sweetness of Ralph Macchio’s face, the screenplay (whatever that amounted to in the first place – release the script!), the soundtrack, the direction to not tone it down under any circumstances, the fact that Macchio categorically refused to play a romance between himself and an actress who was sixteen, no: it was also TIG coming up with fun ways to torture Daniel’s character and suggesting these to the director. Clearly everyone has fun hurting Mr Macchio (including Mr Macchio).

The point is that aaallll of that amounts to that Intense Homoerotic Dubiously-Consented-To D/s subtext that haunts the movie and gives a lot of fun stuff to play with. It’s also a film that – if we’re analysing Daniel along feminine-coded fairytale lines recontextualises his role in this universe.

The Fairytale goes topsy-turvy. Through the looking glass. Enter Big Bad Wolf stage right. Karate is a metaphor for Daniel’s bisexual awakening. 

“Oh, when will an attractive man touch me in ways that aren’t about hurting me?” he asks after two movies of being hurt by boys with rippling muscles. “Why do men continue to notice me only to hit me? Do you think wearing red is making me too noticeable? Anyway, Mr Silver looked really good in his gi today.” 

Daniel’s diary must be a trip.

(image description: eight sketchbook drawings of characters holding a variety of pride flags, all nude and posed in ways that match some old fine art pieces. The nudity has been censored with cute digital flower stickers. end description.)

Characters:

Dalmar, intersex man. Kouto, nonbinary. Chacha, agender. Parva, nonbinary. Xulic and Kidron, genderqueer. Obeli (or Abuela) Moruga, genderqeer. Olli, demiguy. Sajak, genderqueer.

Genderqueer is kind of my default for "well, biologically and culturally, they already don't have binary sex or gender, so they kinda default to genderqueer." And I know maybe some people will be bothered by that, but it's just part of the worldbuilding I've written around all these non-human and frequently non-mammalian species of people.

The uncensored version is on my Patreon page. I do have one more drawing to add to this series, but since it's four child characters I will not need to worry about adding any censors and keeping the original image only on my patreon, as they will simply be wearing their pride flags as whole outfits.

The previous part of this, my binary trans characters, can be found over here.

detailed character descriptions and explanations of the pose references under the cut

Dalmar Ubora, a black intersex elf man with short black hair. He is holding his arms up as he holds the intersex flag, mimicking the pose of Virgin Mary from Titian's painting "The Assumption of the Virgin". The shading was washed out by the photo, but his belly is still clearly round from pregnancy. Dalmar is an interesting case, in that he was assigned male at birth based on his outward appearance, continues to identify as male throughout his life, but finds during puberty that what was believed to be an undeveloped penis was actually just a non functional body part. Instead, what actually developed to full functionality was his uterus. He still identifies as a straight cis man, and has come to terms with his body. He is married to a medically transitioned trans woman, and he could undergo operations to change his body if he wanted to. Instead, he has embraced his body and even birthed some children who were conceived via sperm donations. This is why I wanted a Mary pose for him, and this painting in particular is about Mary being welcomed into heaven as a blessed holy woman. Dalmar may not be a miraculous holy figure, but there is a reverence in the way he has come to love his body and chosen to bear children, including the surrogate birth of his brother's child.

Kouto Hayashi-Loryck, a slender nonbinary elf with black hair tied into a bun. They are holding the nonbinary flag and standing in the pose of a statue known as "Apollo Belvedere", which is so old no one knows the artist's name. One arm raised, one lowered, legs in the relaxed contrapposto pose. Kouto is an artist and an art model. Apollo is a god of the arts, and regarded as a beautiful and sexual figure. Kouto is bisexual and admittedly a very sexual and flirtatious person. They did settle into a happy marriage though (actually they are Dalmar's in-law and the sperm donor for the aforementioned surrogate birth.) Marriage has not stopped Kouto's flirtations, merely limited their targets to a singular person. It felt right to give him this pose, from a pretty well known portrayal of Apollo. Beauty, art, and sex, all defining traits of Apollo and Kouto alike, all present in a pose where the figure seems to be reaching for something above them.

Chacha Faraji, an agender black elf with short hair. They are facing away from the viewer, seated on a stool that is covered by the draped agender flag. No physical traits that could betray their agab are visible. Chacha is sitting in the pose of Reubens' painting "Venus at the Mirror". The arm closest to the viewer ends at the elbow, while they hold a mirror in front of their face with their one whole arm. Their face is seen reflected, smiling, little wrinkles visible by their eyes. I chose this painting in part because it did allow me to obscure Chacha's agab. They were my first nonbinary character, and I never really settled on an agab. But also, I enjoy putting characters who have unconventional bodies into poses associated with Venus or Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. Chacha is missing half an arm, they are getting older and it shows in the wrinkles on their face. Chacha is also Aromantic and Asexual, the full queer triple A battery. The mirror pose has become an independence of beauty. "Look but don't touch." Chacha is beautiful, and they do not need to be beautiful for anyone but themself.

Parva Turbatus, a white nonbinary elf with shoulder length curly hair that has been shaved down on the far side of their head. They are holding the nonbinary flag, standing in the slightly closed off pose found in Paul Gariot's painting "Pandora's Box". One hand on their chest, one hand held out to hold the flag. They have top surgery scars on their chest and a c-section scar on their navel, though all of these have unfortunately been hidden by the flower censors. I chose a pandora pose for Parva because they have one of the most intense tragic backstories of any of my characters. Like Pandora opening the box, they have suffered through many things but came out the other side with Hope, and healing.

Xulic Vos and Kidron Engedi, a drow and a lizard person. They are sharing the genderqueer flag. Xulic has long ears and white hair in a braid, with a white monkey-like tail barely visible behind their legs. Kidron looks like a leopard gecko, and their tail is acting as a visual block in fron of Xulic's groin. They are standing together in the central pose of Raphael's "School of Athens" fresco. Xulic is pointing one hand up to the sky, while Kidron holds one hand palm down towards the earth. Xulic's chest is visibly flat, however I have rewritten the drow as a eusocial people, who's biology has made most of the common population infertile and visibly near identical above the waist. Xulic's agab is unknown to anyone but them, and perhaps their reptilian lover Kidron. Both drow and lizard folk have biology and cultures that do not really support a gender binary, so genderqueer suits them both quite well. I chose the School of Athens pose because these characters are scientists in fields that overlap, and they often get into deep discussions on the matter. Xulic is a paleontologist while Kidron is a geologist, and they have another friend (my protagonist) who studies archaeology.

Obeli (or Abuela) Moruga, an elderly goblin with sagging skin and axolotl-like frills on the sides of her head. She grins as she holds the gender queer flag, partly draped over the tall stool she is seated on. Her pose matches that of John Collier's "Priestess of Delphi" painting, which depicts a woman hunched over herself on a stool. Old Obeli Moruga, whose title best translates to "grandmother" is a significant figure in her community, both because of her more practical role as a leader and wise woman, but also because she has gained immortality and become an incarnation of Life Itself, after she was given the offer of such power when she nearly died in the goblin revolution. There are many figures that would suit her. Poses from statues of goddesses, like Athena or Gaia. Perhaps turning away from the theme of greek and roman figures I ended up with for my nonbinary group (dalmar is his own thing) and using the famous painting of Liberty on a battlefield. But now in her old age, all those poses of figures in more active poses, tall and imposing, simply didn't feel right. A wise old woman, hunched on a stool in a pose associated with the idea of an oracle, a priestess, a prophetess, felt much more fitting. (goblin culture does have specific pronouns for leadership, and in the common speech they have decided this translates best to the feminine "she/her")

Olli Moruga, also a goblin with axolotl-like frills, standing with the demiguy flag in his hands. He is in the pose of Michaelangelo's statue of Bacchus, god of wine, merriment, and madness. One hand up as if to salute with a cup, body leaning and perhaps a little unstable. Olli is a gay demiguy, stepping away from the naturally ungendered state of his people to embrace masculinity instead. He is extroverted, loves a good party, and has definitely been a little over his depth with alcohol on many occasions. He knows this is a problem. He used to act rebellious because of it, trying to be cool and aloof, but he has since admitted the truth to himself and now openly seeks help. His trans lover, Zaire (seen in a previous post) has become a great support to him. Even though it may seem odd to use the pose of a god of wine for a character that is trying to overcome an alcohol issue, I still feel like the vibe of Bacchus or Dionysus fits Olli well. He is not only a god of wine, but also of pleasure in general, a concept Olli embraces. Wild joy, perhaps to the point of becoming a little feral, abandoning tradition for personal fulfillment. It is unusual for goblins to embrace a binary gender, even partially. Gendered pronouns do not exist in their tongue, only being used in cases where common speech needs to be used to refer to certain significant figures, such as a leader. It is also unusual for a goblin to take a lover outside their species, since most goblins live in fairly isolated places and all mate together seasonally, depositing their eggs in a communal nursery pool. Olli stands out on purpose.

Lastly, Sajak, an amphibious person with some fish-like features such as their finned ears and a barely visible dorsal fin. They are holding the genderqueer flag as they stand in a commanding pose, one foot on a rock, one arm held out as if pointing to something below them. This pose is taken from the central Poseidon statue in the fountain of Trevi. Their head, arms, and torso are covered in dark tattoos in abstract designs, and they also have a few natural dark stripes along their arms and legs. The obvious connection between Sajak and this statue of Poseidon is that Sajak is a fish person and Poseidon is an ocean god. If I could have thought of a more medical figure, I may have made a different choice in the art reference. Sajak is primarily a doctor, a healer. They are fairly well known and they were an important figure on their home island, though they did leave eventually. Even so, there is a certain vibe to Sajak that suits the image of a powerful and unpredictable oceanic god. They are steady, intelligent, and careful, but they can become fierce when their loved ones are under threat, and the intense focus they show in their work as a doctor can be intimidating to see. There is a feeling of hidden power within Sajak, just as there is in the ocean when it seems calm. Fish folk, whether bipedal and amphibious or fully aquatic, also fit under my category of "non-mammalian people who are just kind of genderqueer by default due to their biology not fitting into a binary".

So, if Marinette found out Adrian's identity first and it was written by an actually competent writer and decent human being, do you think she would have a massive panic attack?

Made with speech to text.

There's absolutely no doubt about it. A competent writer would not be portraying sexual harassment as cute and funny. A competent writer would have Marinette respond appropriately to finding out that the boy she has a crush on is the same boy who has been sexually harassing and assaulting her on the daily for at least a year now.

A competent writer would not be romanticizing sexual harassment and assault. A competent writer would not be romanticizing violent misogyny. A competent writer would not be woobifying and romanticizing as cis-straight white boy incel.

If miraculous ladybug were being written by an actual competent writer, Adrien would be a villain. Literally nothing about his behavior would change at all. The only thing that would change is how it is portrayed. Instead of expecting us to laugh and giggle and cheer him on, we would be expected to be just as angry as Marinette is.

If miraculous ladybug weren't being written by a misogynist, Adrien would be a villain, and Marinette finding out his secret identity would absolutely destroy her perception of him beyond salvation.

Because in Canon, up until now at least, the only thing Marinette knows about Adrien agreste is what he shows people. He purposefully puts on a mask of being a cute sweet innocent naive quote-unquote cinnamon roll.

That is the boy Marinette has a crush on. Marinette has a crush on Adrien because he was nice enough to her to give her his umbrella when it was raining, and always acts sweet and innocent and SadTM.

And then on the other side of the coin, she knows cat Noir, the boy who has been harassing her and has assaulted her multiple times, who is constantly putting her and civilians in danger, who never takes anything seriously, who goes out of his way to torment her, and laughs in her face when he succeeds in upsetting her.

There is literally no universe that is Well written where Marinette finds out that Chat Noir is Adrien and comes away from this revelation still liking him.

The only reason Adrien Agreste is not a villain is because the writers are 45 year old cis straight white men who think that sexual harassment and assault in the height of romance.

The only reason Adrien agreste is not a villain is because the writers agree with him, and want YOU to agree with him too.

If miraculous ladybug were written by someone who actually has morals and is actually capable of writing a story that makes sense and isn't literally a misogynist or an incel, Marinette find out Adrian secret identity is going to destroy any chance of her ever being friendly to him ever again.

If miraculous ladybug were written by someone who is actually disgusted by sexual harassment and misogyny and sexual assault, Marinette finding out that Chat Noir is Adrien is going to be fucking horrible for her.

The boy who has been sexually harassing her this entire time is in her class. The boy who was sexually assaulted her multiple times is in her class. She has had a crush on the same boy who was secretly harassing and assaulting her this entire time. The boy she thought was genuinely kind and friendly is the same one who has been going out of his way to torment her and laughing in her face when he succeeds.

The only reason Adrien agreste is not a villain is because the writers are misogynists and they think sexual harassment is cute and romantic.

In any sane Universe, in any Universe written by someone who does not hate women, Marinette finding out that Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste is going to ruin her fucking life. That betrayal would be so fucking a traumatic I can't even explain it. Even just what she's been put through so far in Canon is bad enough. I can't fucking imagine what she would have to go through finding out that the boy who has been tormenting and abusing her is the one that she thought was her friend.

She already has to constantly fend off his assault on her person. He tries to kiss her every chance he gets. She has to constantly placate his feelings because he is already proven multiple times that he is willing to throw a temper tantrum in the middle of combat if he doesn't get what he wants.

If miraculous ladybug were written by anyone who actually gives a shit about women, we would already see the impact and trauma of what Adrian is putting her through in Marinette everyday life.

In a universe written by someone who is not a misogynist, Adrien agreste is a villain, and finding out that he is the one who has been tormenting her is going to be traumatizing as all fuck. If Adrian's harassment were actually treated as seriously as it is, if his multiple accounts of assault against her were actually treated as serious crimes, if his behavior weren't played as a joke and something that we should be cheering on, this story would be dark as all shit.

Adrian is abusing Marinette, and any Universe written by someone who actually gives a shit about women and actually gives a shit about misogyny, that wouldn't be downplayed or laughed off or romanticized.

A panic attack would be the least of Marinette's problems. With the level of shit he literally cannot actually puts her through, I would have no trouble believing that she has a hard time trusting anyone after that reveal. She thought that she knew what kind of person Adrien was. She thought he was her friend. She thought he was kind and sweet and gentle.

He turns out to have been the monster that has been abusing her and harassing her this whole time.

No universe that takes itself seriously and gives a shit about women can have Marinette find out about Adrian's identity and be 100% fucking fine with it.

Since I did Fabian x Mami in an ask... Shaw x Mami? :>

AT LAST!! I'm so sorry, my friend! This took way too long and I hope she's ok! @episomalvector

Name: Tomo Shaw Gender: Cis Female General Appearance: A LOT like Mami, but with longer facial features, and much more slack ones due to her frequent lack of expression. Long, lanky limbs, like Shaw’s bones are trying to fit into Mami’s frames. She doesn’t wear clothes so much as they’re draped on her, long tops and loose knee-length skirts in cool neutrals. Likewise, her black hair is long, lank, and utterly unstyled yet always pin-straight. Tomo seems utterly still, unnaturally so, most of the time, except for very strange seconds where she seems to ‘flicker’ with a sudden rapid movement, and then no sign any such thing happened. Personality: Tomo began life as a very quiet baby, and became a very quiet, tomboyish child, punctuated with brief periods of animated girlishness. Tomboyish as in, she mostly wore her hair very short and boys clothes and played outdoors and wasn’t into tea parties or dolls, but unlike the stereotypical loud, sports-loving image, she kept to herself and was very focused on things like building grass forts for bugs. This interest in bugs would carry on to an adult interest in etymology, especially crickets. She also keeps some exquisite snails in a lush terrarium. Some people think they’re odd pets, but, well, Tomo is an odd girl.  Tomo has a bizarrely detached, apathetic manner. A lot of people would describe her as a blank slate, and she has a very muted response to how she’s treated by others, whether it’s good or bad, even violent. People notice this first. It’s only after you’ve been around her awhile that you notice she has no response to her external environment in general. Beautiful sunsets, smoggy city skies, garbage dumps, pristine mountain peaks, messy squalor or clean luxury----she doesn’t seem to have an opinion on her surroundings. It’s odd, after all, even an animal react to the environment in which they’re kept. And yet, Tomo becomes irrationally enraged or opinionated about most random of things such as the edges of a font. It’s said that still waters run deep, and perhaps that’s true for others, but Tomo has a sense of a deep abating emptiness within her. Yet, she’s not suffering from it, as others might. It’s a clean comforting sort of lacking, like a pristine whiteboard that’s never been written upon. She wishes to preserve it, rather than fill it with the clutter of a personality, emotions, relationships. Still, she’s not a total void. Tomo has lots of little quirks. For instance, the aforementioned interest in crickets. Or how her manner of speech has a tendency towards elegant, poetic metaphors and a perfect blunt politeness that must be heard to be understood.Or how has a minimalist approach to food, like nouvelle cuisine without the pretension, with a focus on as few ingredients and as little cooking as possible, fresh and natural. Yet she also  really fucking loves those pink and white frosted animal crackers and always has a bag in her room Tomo is eclectically social and morally uneven. For all that’s been said about her as detached and un-engaged and unemotional, at times she manifests a much brighter, engaging personality, very reminiscent of her mother’s default with people. Maybe she’s faking. Maybe she just goes through periods where she’s sunnier and more social. Maybe it’s Prime influencing her to behave like the other Mamis and find people to attach to, but can only exert said influence for a short time. That’s what the “eclectically social” side. The “morally uneven” side is that exactly how she behaves in moral/ethical terms really shifts around, almost as if she’s trying on different outlooks to see what fits.  Which, probably, she is. The best way to understand Tomo is to remember she is halfway an independent person, halfway something that is more like a very independent, long-reaching arm----what Mami is to Prime. But she doesn’t have a Prime to connect back to. She is an arm without a body. And she is comfortable like that for the most part, but also at times is trying to grow parts of a body as she finds necessity for it, whether it’s forming social relationships, developing a morality, or some other part of being a “person” that we do on our unconsciously in our development, but she has to deliberately DECIDE on for it to happen. And she won’t do that without a rational reason for it. So far.

Special Talents: - Quiet little creeper. Shaw SWEARS she needs a bell, she spooked him ALL THE TIME as a wee one. -  Excellent at finding the shortest distance of least resistance aka the quickest, easiest means of accomplishing a goal. It may not be something she can DO but she can TELL you what it is. - Very observant and VERY manipulative, or at least, has the capability to be so. She doesn’t always or even often exploit it, but she picks up on far more than people realize about others and has a very good understanding of what buttons to push and strings to pull for a desired result. She just DOESN’T do it, less out of morality and more because, due to her detached nature, there’s nothing she really wants people to do. She’s more interested in observing what choices they make on their own, if anything. - She has an entire fleshy funguslike network follows her around under the ground she walks on, tunneling through any substance to stay beneath her feet. This is a part of her, and it is a defense and offensive system. When she is threatened, it springs out of the ground or floor to defend her/attack her assailant. It can saps energy of others, which can keep her alive or heal her wounds as well as draining her opponent---to death, if she so desires. Or if it so desires---it’s a part of her, yes, but it may have a mind of its own, much like the stomach or heart functions without our conscious will. It looks a lot like. . .the twisting flesh of the parasites in Parasyte (but without the blades) or the multi-tentacled tongues of the vampires in The Strain, shaped like, again, a fungal network.  - Tomo has a sort of half-link to Prime, a mutual awareness but not much more than that. They can have a conversation of emotions, but not will or influence the other. At least, assuming that’s not where her more social extroverted perky side comes from. Assuming.  Who they like better:  If she had to describe how she sees Shaw, it would be as her memory of his gigantic trouser-clad leg---just one, the one closest to her---passing her by on the floor as a toddler. If she were to describe her relationship to Mami, it would be that between a moss or lichen and the tree upon whose roots its grows. Take that as you will. Who they take after more: Probably Mami in terms of sheer weirdness. Personal Head canon:  Besides entomology, Tomo is also extremely interested in using technology to explore the mystical and parapsychological, such as machines to pick up ghostly energies. She’s not entirely sure why she’s drawn to the subject of ghosts, but she feels she may relate to them in an “opposites attract” sort of way---they are spirits with no bodies, and she feels like a body with no spirit. She has a fantasy she doesn’t understand of decaying in a forest, at the roots of a great tree. Mushrooms grow from her eye sockets. Squirrels hide acorns between her ribs. It’s the most peaceful though possible and it helps her get to sleep. She’s not suicidal. She doesn’t want to die. She just. . .likes the idea. . .of being part of a natural system. . .I wonder why. . . it feels like home. . .  Face Claim: N/A

RICHARD WAS GAY, CAMILLA WASN’T MEANT TO DESERVE BETTER, CHANGE MY MIND: THE DISSERTATION

Hi. I finished The Secret History in October. Here’s the radioactive take I’ve been sitting on for two months.

In keeping and facilitating any discussion of representation (or lackthereof) in The Secret History, it's important to note that Donna intentionally wrote it to closely mimick the upper echelons of elite collegiate academia within the United States: an overtly white, heterosexual, and wealthy pocket of young adults attempting to parade as and/or speak on behalf of those who aren't.

[spoilers under the cut]

That being said, an all-white lead cast is not only appropriate but necessary, as it allows the reader to familiarize themselves with the intimacies of a setting and social crowd made previously foreign, either by circumstance or the deliberate smoke-and-screen thrown up by academic elitists in order to shield their near-archaic world and ensuing social norms from the broader, less-white, less-straight, less- wealthy public. All this is to say: The Secret History is written entirely from the first-person limited perspective of a straight white cis male and therein lies the social commentary. Richard, although to his begrudging credit as having been arguably one of the most moral characters in the entire novel, is still at fault for falling prey to The Mortifying Ordeal of Being A Man. He stays silent in the wake of Bunny's flagrantly homophobic, racist, sexist, and antisemitic tirades -- even when the brunt of this is revealed to Richard on their first evening out together. He regards Judy as simple-minded and coked-out and calls upon her only when it benefits him or furthers the plot arch in which he himself is almost too aware that he stars. He thumbs through the catalogue of women at parties like they're kitchen appliances, and when he's confronted on a notable occasion that he's stolen someone else's, he matter-of-factly evades responsibility, blame, and the kitchen itself. And, most notably, Camilla. For a novel so cleverly crafted from nuance and innuendo, a cliche like love at first sight seems almost insincere. And you'd be right in that assumption. Caustic, anxious, pessimistic, emotionally-detached Richard has no business pining after Camilla the moment he lays eyes on her -- especially not after allocating a measly half-paragraph to her physical appearance upon first glance. And ESPECIALLY not when the prior page was near entirely dedicated to Mr. Abernathy (but we'll get to this). If you really pay attention... All Richard ever comes to appreciate about Camilla is her outward makeup -- specifically the clot of honey-colored hair at her temples that he references several times. The closest he ever comes to introspection and empathy is when he laments over how "difficult" it must be to exist in a "boy's club." (DIRECT quotes.) When Camilla shows up at his bedroom door and reaches out to him about the sexual, emotional, and physical abuse she's endured at the hands of her brother, his gut instinct is to doubt her. When she shows him the evidence, it's anger. When she refuses to move back in with him at his insistence, it's to kick her out back onto the campus where Charles is scouring after her. Richard regards Camilla as little more than something pretty to look at, and the only reason he's attracted to her and values her beyond the likes of the Judy Pooveys of Bennington is because Camilla is in the classics program; Camilla recites ancient Greek in perfect memory; Camilla wears Tweed and comes from money and embodies the peak of the class struggle that Richard has been traumatized by since birth -- and she's neatly packaged into a petite fair-haired girl his age, just to top it all off. There is a reason why Camilla is the main character we know least about. We aren't meant to care. We are Richard, and Richard doesn't care. He wants and lusts and yearns after what she is -- not who she is. To him, she embodies everything he is supposed to want in life: wealth, intellect, status -- all things he's been shown to chase after to near ridiculous lengths. It almost wouldn't matter if she wasn't even a girl ooOH WAIT CUT THE MUSIC [record scratch] [freeze frame] Let's introduce Francis! Out of the Murder Gang, Francis is the one Richard spends the most time devoted to describing, most memorably on that very first day he catalogued them all walking across the lawn. And not only is Richard most preoccupied by him -- of all the things Francis possesses (good style, great taste in fashion, a dry, bland sort of humor that compliments Richards own brand near perfectly) Richard is obsessed with Francis's homosexuality. Richard is so hyperfixated on Francis's homosexuality that he vividly remembers the day , time, and place of when he'd rejected Francis's infinisemal advances, and then mulls over it for months in detail and is able to bring it forth at at the drop of a hat when faced with the HINT of another advancement from Francis. For an unreliable narrator, Richard sure is able to recall gay panic. In staggering detail. Richard is SO hyperfixated on Francis that upon receiving his suicide note, he BOOKS A FLIGHT ACROSS THE COUNTRY IMMEDIATELY. After having held no serious, steady contact with him after they'd committed a murder together. Richard not only drops everything to fly from CA to NY overnight, he also bears witness to Francis's (basically) arranged marriage and immediately following the blatant explanation and display of Francis's family's homophobia, ASKS CAMILLA TO MARRY HIM. In a last-ditch effort to save face, to bury his homosexual urges that have resurfaced after years of self-inflicted suppression, to convince himself that if Francis can stomach it (albeit barely) then so can he -- all of these interpretations are left up to the reader. One thing is for certain, though: his spontaneous proposal to Camilla comes right off the tail end of his visiting Francis in-person for the last time in the novel. Perhaps the reader expects there to be a revelation or a sudden spark of insight into Camilla's character which we have never before gleaned -- but there isn’t. And if that isn't a direct confirmation of Camilla's role not as a character, but as a plot device, then I would politely redirect your attention to how even her denial of Richard is soft-spoken, gentle, and ultimately kind; what woman do you know would save that kind of otherworldly grace for a man who'd repeatedly scorned her, advanced on her without her consent, and asked her to marry him in the middle of a crowded train station? Camilla is the male fantasy and the physical representation of what Richard should want for himself. Francis (along with Literally Every Other Male Character His Age In This Novel) represent a call to something darker, something taboo, something ultimately detrimental; Cloke and his drugs; Charles and his drinking; Henry and his penchant for murder (and sociopathy and control issues and... Yeah);  Bunny and his lying; Francis and his... It's not so much that Francis is the sole symbol of sin and indulgence to Richard: it's that Francis is the only one remotely attainable, because Francis is the only one that would feasibly sleep with him, because Francis is a homosexual and... is that why Richard spends paragraphs upon pages upon chapters mulling over Francis's sex life? Is that why 'homosexual' is one of the first things we learn about Francis? Is that why Richard doesn't even do a good job at convincing himself, let alone the reader, that he doesn't want to hook up with Francis -- a handful of lines before they get as far as second (and arguably third) base? In conclusion: the alternative title of The Secret History should be whatever the ancient Greek equivalent is of the colloquialism "no homo." But the Greeks sure did love their gays, didn't they...? :-)

Hey so it's late and I feel like ranting - might delete this later

anyway about fierrochase

TL;DW - Magnus can date Alex amd be straight. He doesn't have to be straight, but he still can be amd it doesn't make Alex's gender any less valid or vice versa.

So Fierrochase has been one of my otps for about as long as I've had otps that went beyond tomsalind and percabeth. Basically as long as I've truly been a fandom person, fierrochase has been important to me. Alex especially.

I started identifying as non-binary not very long ago and realizing that I wasn't cis truly sucked. Like a ton. Amd one of the only things that made me feel better was rereading Ship of the Dead. I'm old and mature enough to recognize that Rick Riordan has plenty of issues and that the majority of his characters who aren't white cishets are poorly written in some way, shape, or form (If you feel like debating me on that, I urge you not to-I have zero energy right now. Id recommend looking through the "rr crit" tag or something). Still, despite not really liking RR and sometimes getting annoyed at how Alex Fierro was writte, she provided comfort for me.

the actual reason I'm ranting right now is because of some things I keep seeing in fierrochase tags and stuff (sorry I didn't set that up very well did ?)

Let me premise this by saying I'm definirely not talking about the entire Magnus chase fandom and also that, despite how much I love Alex, I'm not really in the fandom aside from going through the tags every so often. but anyway:

so Alex is gender fluid, which is a non binary identity. she doesn't specifically call herself "non binary" as far as I remember (and that's fine!), but the identity of genderfluid is literally outside of the genderbinary, hence non binary. "Non binary" is not a third gender. nor is gender fluid. all non binary means is that a person's gender is not as simple as male or female. That's it. (theres a lot more to say on that subject but thats for another day).

anyway my point is that non binary people fit into all sexualities. I could be a lesbian woman and being with a non binary person (EVEN A AMAB NON BINARY PERSON) wouldn't make me less of a lesbian.

And, with regard to fierrochase, I keep seeing posts about how Magnus "hasn't been straight since Alex came along" (these could be old posts and for all I know nobody's making them anymore--again, I'm not really in the Magnus chase fandom) and the thing is,,, that's not true. Magnus could be as straight as a beanpole and loving Alex wouldn't change that a bit. He doesn't have to be bisexual or pansexual or gay (I haven't really seen anything about that last one but I'm including it anyway).

Thats not to say that there's anything wrong with head canoning magnus as bi or pan. if you opened up the sword of summer and and immediately got bisexual vibes from him and haven't looked back since, that's totally fine! The only thing that bothers me is when people look at fierrochase amd say "welp it looks like Magnus is leaving the heterosexual lifestyle behind now that Alex has arrived."

so give me Straight Magnus who loves his genderfluid s/o more than anything. give me magnus who wears a lil ally pin at pride and holds Alex's hand in the streets, whether she's female or he's male because Magnus being straight shouldn't have to change any of that.

or headcanon something completely different. I dont really care. This was just a rant about one particular thing that bothered me.

so congrats if you're still reading this word vomit. Thanks :)

TL;DW - Magnus can date Alex amd be straight. He doesn't have to be straight, but he still can be amd it doesn't make Alex's gender any less valid or vice versa.

do you have anything abt historical trans lesbians? 0:

Transgender Lesbian Women in History

In order to answer this question I asked Zagria, the transgender historian who is running the Gender Variance Who is Who site. Many of the links below are to her transgender history site.

She points out that the term “trans lesbian” is ambiguous and has been used in many ways.

For instance: Do trans women who stay with their pre-transition wife after transitioning count?

Moreover, do the so-called “female husbands” count?   

“There are large numbers of them before the mid 20th century,” Zagria says. “We would say that they are heterosexual trans men, but the lesbian sites regard them as lesbians.”    

Among the “female husbands” we find Harry Stokes, Charles Hamilton and William Holton.

Here are some of the other possible interpretations of the term “trans lesbian” Zagria has mentioned to me:

1. A woman who is both trans and lesbian, like Beth Elliot, Nikki Sinclaire, Bet Power, Tracie O'Keefe. This is the best definition of the term transgender lesbian, as Zagria sees it, although it may not necessarily make much sense further back in history.

I have seen that a lot of people seem to think relatively few of the transgender women are lesbian. However, new research indicates that the straight transgender women represent the minority.  

Given the increasing tolerance of nonbinary identities and sexual fluidity, however, it becomes harder to distinguish between the “pure” lesbians and  bisexual/polysexual trans women. Furthermore, many trans women see a change in their sexual orientation after transitioning.

Hannah Rossiter has written an interesting article about butch lesbian transgender women.

Most of the HBS trans women remained gynephilic (attracted to women), Zagria says. She is here  referring to a The Harry Benjamin Syndrome transsexual separatist movement that was very active up till some 10 years ago. They were the MTF  transmedicalists of that time.

2. A trans woman who is en-coupled with a trans woman. e.g.  Susan Cooke.

3. A heterosexual male “crossdresser”. Some male assigned gender variant people have used the term  “transvestite” or perhaps “male lesbian” to describe  themselves. Zagria  points  to  Virginia Prince and the American Tri-ess organisation. 

Virginia Prince (1912 - 2009) went as far as changing her name and body, so to me it seems she was a man in legal terms only, and barely that.

I would include the (in)famous movie director Ed Wood, who in the movie Glen or Glenda (1953) presents as a male to female crossdresser who is attracted to women. I suspect Ed would have identified as a transgender woman if they had lived today.

4. A cis female attracted to trans men. Zagria points to Lynn Baker (Dirty White Boi) who refers to these women as “straightbians”. Be warned: Dirty White Boi is a transphobic TERF.

5. A male-bodied person, apparently cis, who identifies as lesbian and is primarily attracted to queer women.  Not (yet) trans.  The original L Word TV series had a male lesbian character. In 1987 Dr. Brian G. Gilmartin published a book called Shyness & Love: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment, which used the term "male lesbian".

6. Some people, rudely, regard gynephilic trans men as trans lesbians.

Zagria notes that the term “transbian” is, to some extent, used in self-identification, “but also used by cisbians to imply that transbians are not real lesbians.”

The photo above is of Beth Elliott (born 1950), an American trans lesbian folk singer, activist, and writer. In the early 1970s Elliot was active in The Daughters of Bilitis and the West Coast Lesbian Conference in California. It will probably come as no surprise to readers of this blog that she was attacked by the TERFs of the time.

The photo below is from Ed Wood’s film Glen or Glenda, where Ed plays the role the protagonist, here presenting as Glenda.